Businessman, Labour activist and vice chairman of Heart of Midlothian
Born: August 6, 1931;
Died: November 20, 2018
PILMAR Smith, who has died aged 87, was an exceptional individual who in the course of a long life achieved much success in business and public life while earning and retaining the affection and respect of all with whom he came in contact. Most readily identifiable to many through his association with Heart of Midlothian Football Club of whom he was a lifelong fan, and director and vice chairman for over a decade from the early 1980s onwards, he was also a very successful bookmaker in Edinburgh for many years, making his name through greyhound racing at Powderhall.
Politically he was a staunch Labour Party and trade union activist from an early age, whose guiding principle was that everyone should be given an equal chance in life irrespective of beginnings. Extremely well connected with the upper echelons of the Labour and trade union movement, he was chairman of the East Lothian constituency party until 2006.
He was also a board member of Lothian Buses for 17 years, including 12 as chairman during which period the company won the prestigious UK bus operator of the year award four times, recording substantially increased financial turnover and passenger numbers.
Despite his accomplishments, he remained very much a people’s person. In North Berwick where he had lived permanently for about the last 20 years he was a very popular figure who had time for everyone and was highly regarded for his contributions to community life.
He was born in Edinburgh’s Old Town, the only son of David and Isabella nee Pilmar, hence his first name. With his sisters Ella and Janet, he was initially brought up in the Castlehill area in the lea of Edinburgh Castle.
His father who was a lorry driver/salesman for a soft drinks company had family roots in East Lothian where his father had been a farm worker. Pilmar grew up hearing about the unfair conditions these workers had to endure which piqued his early interest in socialism. His father was also a keen Hearts supporter who infused his son with love of the club.
After attending Castlehill Primary, he next went to Tynecastle High School after the family moved to Dewar Place, near Haymarket. As the school overlooked the Hearts’ ground, he was sometimes able to watch the players train which further fired his enthusiasm.
A talented outside right himself, he played for well known juvenile club, Merchiston Thistle, and was invited to play a trial for Wolverhampton Wanderers. At the same time he heard that Hearts boss Tommy Walker was interested in him and declined Wolves’ invitation. Unfortunately, the Tynecastle interest never materialised and instead he played for Haddington Athletic and Loanhead Mayflower.
He began working life as an electrician completing his apprenticeship below ground at Newtongrange’s Lady Victoria pit where he was a youth delegate, further stoking his political interest.
Although his ambition of playing for Hearts was never fulfilled, he was delighted to join the club’s board in 1982 on owner Wallace Mercer’s invitation and remained till 1994, including a spell as vice chairman. Although cut from different cloth from Mr Mercer, a property developer and Conservative Party supporter, the two gelled well to raise the club’s fortunes after a spell in the doldrums, coming close to winning the League and Scottish Cup in 1986 and taking the team regularly into Europe.
Mr Smith introduced a wide array of business and political contacts to further the club’s best interests and was especially adept at providing a bridge between the fans and the club hierarchy as well as between players and Mr Mercer. He was influential in setting up the club’s youth development committee following a visit to his friend Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United to study their youth structure and was involved in the redevelopment of Tynecastle.
Another sporting interest was professional running in which he was an occasional sponsor for Scotland’s world class sprinter George McNeill, including the 1981 trip he undertook to Australia for McNeill’s successful quest for the famous Stawell Gift title when Mr Smith secured a big win. McNeill commented, "When Pilmar had a betting coup, he cut in the trainer and runner too, not many bookies were so generous.”
In his early twenties he worked as a bookmaker’s clerk before setting up in business for himself aged 25, mostly working in greyhound racing at Powderhall where through shrewdness and hard work he built an excellent reputation. He embraced horse racing too and opened betting shops at Dalry Road near Tynecastle and Balerno, the former managed by his sisters and the latter by Bobby Blackwood, his brother in law and former Hearts player.
At this time he lived in Murieston Crescent during the week and at North Berwick at weekends. In 1992 he joined Lothian Buses as vice chair to friend Alex Kitson, replacing him in 1997 when he presided over an unbroken success story for the next 11 years, again bringing his nous, acumen and people skills to the table.
Latterly in North Berwick despite illness and advancing years, he characteristically supported the campaign to keep the local Edington hospital open. Till recently he enjoyed playing golf regularly at Archerfield and spending time with friends.
Pilmar Smith’s funeral is 1pm at Warriston Crem in Edinburgh on Wednesday. He is survived by his sister Janet and five nephews and nieces.
JACK DAVIDSON
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